New Scoutmaster - Scoutmaster minute

[RMcCown 10]

...or maybe a minute and a half...

 

Next tuesday, at our winter COH, our old SM steps down, and I take the reigns. I've been doing the Scoutmaster Minute for the last few months, and I'd like to do one this time and touch on some issues we're having. They're mostly along the lines of "Safe Haven".

 

A few examples. When we're teaching lashings, invariably, there are a few scouts that take a stave and start doing kung-fu moves with it. They're stopped and talked to, but it'll happen again with another scout sometime later, or the next week. Or, we'll have 'hat stealing keep-away' before the pre-opening, or, which happened tonite, we had one scout grab another Scout's shirt. I separated them, talked to them both, told them it didnt matter if it was fun or not, that kind of behaviour isnt acceptable.

 

Now that I'm going to be in the driver's seat, Id like to come down hard on this kind of garbage, without coming across as a control freak. Paraphrasing the whole 'safe haven' idea is a start, but how can I let the boys, and their parents, that we're about to have a zero tolerance policy for that kind of stuff?

 

-=Bob

[local1400 10]

Good luck to you and God bless for your willingness to step up to SM. Its only a couple hours a week! Thats a tough spot. Discipline starts at home and its obvious there is none in some scouts today. I think everyone knows a name in their head right now. At COH's when I was a scout the SM had a < shaped birch log with 12 candles set in drilled holes. Fromthe lower end up to the higher he would light a candle and call out "A scout is Trustworthy". A person from behind the scenes with a great voice would read out the meanings of each point. Light a candle, call out a point, get response on so forth. At the end of the COH the SM would ask all in attendance to reflect on the Scout Law and Oath. Whether it has an impact or not, it still stands out in my mind after all these years! I know times have changed, so good luck and never give up on any boy!

[orennoah 11]

Having been in your position (taking over for a popular SM at a COH), my best advise is to keep the SM minute at the COH, in front of all the parents, etc., exclusively positive. Stress the great heights the troop can reach, all because of the great example set by former SM.

 

Then, when the first instance of this re-occurs, do a SM minute that reflects your disappointment that the troop is now headed in the wrong direction.

 

E.g., share your dreams with them first, then work with them to achieve those dreams.

 

Good luck and - believe it or not - great joys await you. You just won't know when those joys will hit.